Signaling device for motor-vehicles.



L. A. BEAN.

SIGNALING DEVICE FOR MOIOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, I915.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

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L. A. BEAN. SIGNALING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 29 'IBIB.

1,301,090, Patented Apr. 22,1919.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. e2, 1919.

Application filed May '29, 1918. Serial No. 237,243.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that *I, LOUIS A. BEAN, a citizen of the Uhited States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State otColoredo, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Devices for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to signaling-devices for motor vehicles and has for its primary object to provide certain improvements in a device of that general character shown and described in Patent No. 1,255,976 issued to me February 12, 1918 whereby the general sei'vicea'bility and convenience of such devices are enhanced.

It is another obect of my invention to provide a signaling device for indicating the intentions ofth'e driver or chauffeur to other motorists or pedestrians relative to the subsequent moven-ients of the vehicle wherein the several parts when in inoperative position are very compactly arranged and wholly inclosed within a housing so that adequate protection against injury is at forded.

It is one of the more particular objects of the invention to provide a spring held rotatably mounted arm, and a signaling element movably mounted on said arm and adapted in one position of the arm to be extended to its indicative position, said element beinz'g foldable with relation to the arm when the latter moves to its normal position, and means for automatically actusting-the indicative element.

It is also a further general object of my invention to improve the construction of such signaling devices in the above particulars, but without complicating the same or increasing the manufacturing cost thereof to an appreciable extent.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved combination, construction, and relative arrangement of the several parts which will be hereinafter more fiully described, subsequently claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which similar reference cliaracters designate corresponding arts throughout the several views, and were- 1nz- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pornalingfdevice appliedthereto and showing 318 indicative vmeans in its operative posi- Fig. '2 is a sectional view through the casing or houslng, the relatively movable parts being shown in full lines in their normal folded positions within the housing and beingillustrated in dotted lines in their extended positions; I

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 ofFi g. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevation il-lustrati the circuit closingmeans for the electric amp carried by the signaling hand;

Fig. 6 tea perspective view of thecasing partly broken away showing a slightly modified form of the device.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation partly in :section showing the arm and handof the indicator in their extended or indicative positions; and

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken 'on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates a rectangular housing, which, in the iliustrated embodiment of the invention I have shown mounted upon the wind shield frame of the-motor vehicle. This h'ousing may he attached to the frame of the wind Slllel by means or clamps er in any other suita le anner, and it ill of course be u'nderstodd that if desire the device may be located at any o't er convenient orfd'esin able place upon the body of the vehicle. One of the si nalings evices' is arranged at each side of t "e-macliin'e, and as they are identical in constru'ti'on :the following detailed description 0 one of the signaling devices will suffice foihqi;

In the lower-end ofthelfousing 5a transversely disposed od or bolt 6 is located, the ends or said rod b'ein' Sammy fixed in am opposite side walls c thehodsin. Upon this s' l'l ipbrtin' Jr'o'd or boltfi a cflindrical spring easing is rotatably 1mm ed 'One' side ofthis casin s closed, the we'llt ereof bin' disposed in 't e plane ofmre side wall of e hous'lhgf. A spiral spring 8 is arranged within the easin Tana ,is liked a oneen to the annular wall of the casing wall. The other end of said spring is setion of an automobile with my improved sigcured to the rod 6. A removable cap 9 closes the opposite side of the casing 7, and against the outer face of this cap one end of an arm 11 is engaged. The cap and the arm are held in assembled relation upon the casing by means of the bolts 10 which extend through the side wall ofthe casing and through said cap and arm and are provided with suitable clamping nuts 12.

An operating lever 13 is fulcrumed as at 14 between suitable bracket members fixed to one wall of the housing 5 at the opposite edges of a vertical slot 15 therein. The inner end of this lever which extends through a slot 7 in the annular wall of the casing 7 is provided or formed with a segmental gear 16, the teeth of which have meshing engagement with the teeth 18 formed on the periphery of an annulus 17 fixed to the in; nor face of the side wall of the casin 7 in concentric relation to the fixed b0 t or axis 6.

The arm 11 is movable through a slot 19 in one side of the housing 5 and to the rear side of this arm a longitudinally extending plate 21 is fixed by means of the screws 22. The signaling element 24 which I have herein shown as of a form simulating the human hand, is loosely mounted for rotative movement at one end upon a bolt 25 fixed in one end of the arm 11.

To the side wall of the housing 5 below the slot 15 therein, a bracket member 26 is fixed, said bracket member having a tubular portion for the bushing or guide 27 through which the circuit wires 28 extend. Upon a stud 29 projecting from the bracket member 26 one end of a lever 30 is pivotally engaged, said lever extending through a vertical slot 31 in the adjacent wall of the housing 5. The other end of this lever 30 is curved as shown at 32 and pivotally connected at its extremity to a stud bolt 33 fixed to the end of the hand or signaling member 24.

The hand 24 has an opening 34 through the alm portion thereof in which the inditiscent electric bulb 35 is disposed. Current is supplied to this electric light bulb through a wire36 which is connected to a contact stud 37 fixed in the inner end of the hand 24. When'the signaling hand is extended to its indicative position this stud is adapted to engage a resilient circuit closing "plate 37 secured upon the end of the arm l'1.- This plate is connected by means of a wire ,38' to a binding post 39 fixed in the tubular portion of the bracket member 26 to. which ost the circuit wires 28 leading framers batteries orfother' suitable source oielectrieal energy are likewise connected.

While. any desired means may be provided for actuating the lever 13, I preferably employ for this purpose a foot pedal 40 suitably mountedupon the floor 0 the veh cle and connected by a rod 41t'o sai lever. The

lever is formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings 42 for the adjustable connection of the rod 41.

In the operation of my im roved signaling device as above described, the arm 11 and the signaling hand 24 when in their normal positions are disposed in folded parallel relation and entirely inclosed within the housing 5 as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. When it is desired to extend the signaling hand to its indicative position the operator depresses the foot lever 40 and through the medium of the rod 41 the lever 13 at its outer end is pulled downwardly. The segmental gear 16 on the inner end of this lever coacting with the teeth of the annulus 17 rotates the casing 7 upon the bolt 6 against the action of the spiral spring 8 thereby winding or tensioning said sprin In this rotation of the casing, the arm 11 is moved from its normal position through an arcuate path of 'approximatel 90 to a substantially horizontal extend iad position with respect to the housing 5. In such movement of the arm 11, the lever 30 acts to rotate the hand 24 on the end of said arm and dispose the hand in an outwardly extended position so that it will be clearly visible both from the front and the rear of the machine. At night, the electrical circuit through the wires 28 is closed by means of a suitable switch and when the arm has been moved to its indicative position as just explained, the contact stud 37 is brought into engagement with the resilient circuit closing plate 37. Thus the circuit will be closed through the filament of the lam 35 and the signaling hand illuminated. pon the release of the foot pedal 40 the spring 8 will immediately act to rotate the casing 7 and return the arm 11 to its 'normal vertical position within the housing 5. In this return movement of the arm, the signaling hand 24 is turned upon its pivot 25 and again disposed along the side of the arm 11 and in folded relation thereto. The plate 21 serves as a spacing means and wear plate between the arm 11 and the signaling hand 24.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8 of the drawngs, I have illustrated a slightly modified form of the invention. In this modified construction, the gear 16 and the gear so ment 18 are dispensed with, and in lieu t ereof a wire 42 is connected at one of its ends to the periphery of the casing 7 exteriorly thereof as at 43. At a pointin spaced relation to the attached end of the wire 42, a contact stud or pin" 44 is fixed in the annular wall of the casing; and a wire 45 connected to said pin extends through an opening in the casing wall and along the arm 11 and is connected at its other end to the contact element 37 on said arm. A tube 46 extends through one wall of the housing 5 and is securely fixed at its inner end 'to the rear side wall of said housing. A circuit closing plug 47 is fixed in the wall of this tube and hasresilient'ly yieldable terminals between which the con tact pin 44 is adapted to engage. Wires 48 extend through the tube 46 and a tube 49 telescopically engaged in the outer end of the tube 46, said wires being connected to the batteries or other source of current supply. A second tube 50 is fixed at one of its ends in the wall of the housing 5, said tube having an an ularly disposed downwardly extending en portion 51. This angular tube provides a guide for the operating Wire 42 which is connected to the foot pedal or other actuating element.

52 designates a suitable clamp for engagement with the windshield frame, said clamp having an arm 53 and a tubular head 51 extending at right angles to the axis of said arm. This tubular head is adapted to engage upon the tube 49 and said tube is securely fixed within the head by means of the set screws 55, Plates 5 6 are loosely engaged upon the tube 49 at each side of the head 54, said plates being also loosely engaged on the' tube 50. The tubes 49 and 50 are securely held against movement relative to the plates by means of the set screws 57 and 58 which have binding engagement upon the respective tubes. rangement of the indicator upon the wind shield, it will be readily seen that the indicator housing may be easily and quickly adjusted and positioned relative to the side of the wind shield frame.

The indicator hand of this modified construction is provided with a casing 59 projecting from the rear side. thereof and disposed in concentric relation tothe bolt 25 fixed in the arm 11. A spiral spring 60 arranged in said housing has one of its ends connected to said bolt and its other end fixed to the annular wall of the housing. This spring normally acts to hold the indicator hand in its folded or collapsed position within the casing in parallel relation to the arm 11. A wire 61 is attached at one of its ends to the periphery of the casing exteriorly thereof as shown at 62, the other end of said wire being suitably fixed to one wall of the housing 5 at the inner side thereof and adjacent the lower end of said casing. To the indicator hand 24 one end of a spring contact plate 63 is secured, and the other or free end of this plate is adapted for engagement with the contact element 37 when the arm and handare in their extended positions with relation to the indicator housing. A wire 36' connects this contact plate 63 to the plug of the lamp 35.

To the hand 24, a stop member 64 is fixed, and this stop member is adapted for engagement with the shoulders 65 on the end of the arm 11, to limit the movement of said hand By this mounting and ar with respect to the arm when extended to its indicative position or when moved to an inoperative position within the housing.

In the operation of the modified form of the device, it will be understood that when the foot pedal is depressed, the wire 42 is pulled so that the arm 11 is rotated upon its supporting bolt or pin and swung outwardly and downwardly through the slot in the housing wall. In this movement of the arm, the wire 61 connected to the spring casing 59 causes a rotative movement of the indicator hand upon said arm so as to dispose said hand in its extended position as seen in Fig. 7. The spring within the casing 59 is of course thus coiled and placed under tension. \Vhen the parts are thus moved to their indicative positions, the pin 44 in the wall of the casing 7 is brought into engagement with the terminals of the circuit closing plug 47, and approximately at the same moment, the contact plate 63 oh the indicator hand engages the contact element 37 on the end of the arm 11. Thus the circuit is closed for the illuminating electric lamp 35 carried by the indicator hand. Upon the release of the foot pedal, the spiral spring within the casing 7 promptly returns the arm 11 to its normal vertical position with the housing 5, while the spring 60 likewise operates to move the indicator hand down 'wardly along the side of the arm 11 to its folded position, as the pull of the wire 61 is released.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of operation, and several advantages of my improved signaling device will be fully and clearly understood. The operator of the machine may in stantly actuate the signaling device at either side thereof and dispose the signaling ele* ment in its indicative position, without removing his hand from the steering wheel. Thus, pedestrians and other motorlsts may be properly warned as to the intentions of the driver or operator of the machine regarding the subsequent movements thereof, whereby collisions which may possibly result in serious injury can be avoided.

VVl1ile I have herein shown and described the preferred form, construction and relative arrangement of the several elements employed, it is to be understood that the device is susceptible of considerable modification and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

ingly retarding the rotation of the casing in one direction to maintain the signaling arm in its normal position, and manually operable means to rotate the casing and dispose the arm in its indicative position.

2. A signaling device of the character described, including a housing, an arm operatively mounted Within the housing, a mov able signaling member carried by the arm, means yieldably urging the arm to its normal position Within the housing, manually operable means to move said arm to an extended position with respect to the housing, and means connected to the signaling member and operable in the latter movement of the arm to dispose said member in its indicative position with respect to the arm, said means moving the signaling member on the arm when the latter is returned to its normal position whereby said member may move with the arm within said housing.

3. A. signaling device of the character described, including a housing, signaling means comprising relatively movable parts one of which is operatively mounted within the housing, means for relatively moving the other of said parts to its indicative position when the first named part is extended from the housing, and additional means for returning said second named part to its normal nonindicative position with respect to the first named part whereby both of said parts are simultaneously moved within the housing. 7

4. A signaling device of the character described including a housing, signaling means comprising a part operatively mounted Within said housing, a signaling member pivotally mounted upon said part, means for moving the signaling member to its indicative position with respect to said part when the latter is extended from the housing, and additional means for returning said member to its normal position with respect to said part in the movement of the latter to a nonindicative position within the housing.

5. A signaling device of the character described including a housing, signaling means comprising a part operatively mounted within the housing, a signaling member movably mounted upon one end 0 said part, means normally acting to yieldingly hold said signaling member in its normal position with respect to said part within the housing, and means operatively connected to said signaling member to automatically move said mem her to an indicative position when said part is moved to an extended position with relation to the housin 6. A signaling nfiavice of the character described including a housing, signaling means com rising a part operatively mounted Within t e housing and adapted to be extended therefrom, a signaling member pivotally mounted upon one end of said part, and an element fixed at one of its ends to the housing wall and operatively connected at its other end to the signaling member to automatically move the latter to its indicative position when said part is extended from the housing.

7 A signaling device of the character described including a housing, signaling means comprising a part operatively mounted within the housing and adapted to be extended therefrom, a signaling member pivotally mounted upon one end of said part, a spring yieldingly holding the signaling member within the housing and against movement relative to said part, and a flexible element fixed at one end to the housing wall and op eratively connected at its other end to the signaling member to move the latter to its indicative position when said part is extended from the housing.

8. A signaling device of the character described including a housing, signaling means wholly inclosed within the housing in its normal position and including relatively movable parts, manually operable means to extend the signaling means to its indicative position from the housing, and means for automatically moving one of said parts to a predetermined position relative to the other in such operative movement of the signaling means.

9. A signaling device of the character described including a housing, signaling means normally inclosed within said housing and adapted to be extended therefrom to an indicative position, said signaling means including pivotally connected elements, manually operable means to extend the signaling means from the housin and means automatically operable in t e actuation of the signaling means to move one of said parts to a predetermined position relative to the other.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of a. Witness.

LOUIS A. BEAN.

Witness WILLIAM J. McPHEnsoN.

,Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommiesloner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

